Electrically-operated railway-crossing alarm.



Patented Aug. l5, I899.

I J. E. STEELE. ELECTRICALLY OPERATED RAILWAY CROSSING ALARM.

(Applicationfiled May a, 1899.)

(No Model.)

ATTORN EY UNITED STATES PATENT Orrrcn.

JOSEPH E. STEELE, OF COLUMBUS, OIIIO.

ELECTRlCAL'LY-OPERATED RAILWAY-CROSSING ALARM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 631,134, dated August 15, 1899.

7 Application filed May 8,1899. Serial No. 715,924. (No model.)

T all who?" it y Cancer! ception that said arm 21 is insulated or of Be itknown that I, JOSEPH E. STEELE, a citinon-conducting material. Through the mezen of theUnited States,residingat Columbus, dium of a spring 22 the armature-bar 19 is in the county of Franklin and State of Ohio, normally held in contact with said insulated 5 have invented a certain new and useful Imarm 21.

provementin Electrically-Operated Railway- As indicated at a a, the track-sections 6 Crossing Alarms, of which the following is a and Sand 7 and 9 are electrically connected specification. through the medium of wires. From the track- My invention relates to the improvement section 6 runs a wire line b, which being in- [O of railway-crossing signals, and has particu-' tersected by a battery I) is connected with lar relation to that class of signals which are the magnet-coil 18. Through the medium of operated by electricity. a wire line 0 a connection is produced between The objects of my invention are to provide the track-section 7 and the relay-bar 14. a simple, reliable, and effective bell-ringing (1 represents a wire line which being inter- [5 mechanism of improved construction wheresected by a battery d connects the track-secby the ringing of an alarm-bell will result tion 3 with the magnet-coil13. from a train approaching a crossing in either e represents a wire line which connects the direction and whereby the ringing of said track-section 4 and magnet-coil 13, and fis 7o alarm-bell will be prevented when the train a short wire line which forms a connection 20 is leaving the crossing. These objects I acbetween the wires e and b.

complish in the manner illustrated in the ac- 23 represents a suitable form of electric companying drawing, in which is illustrated bell, with the contact-posts 24 and 25 of which a plan view of a portion of a railway-track, are connected wires 9 and h, the latter being showing in connection therewith the apparaintersected by a battery 71 and leading to the 25 tus which I employ in carrying out my invenarmature-barl9 and the former leading to the tion. contact-arm 20.

Similar numerals and letters refer to simi- 76 represents a wire which connects the conlar parts throughout the drawing. tact-arm 15 with the magnet 18, and m rep- 8o 1 and 2 represent, respectively, the lines of resents a similar connection between thecon- 3o track-rails of an ordinary railway, those sectact-arm 16 and point on the wire (1 adjacent tions of track-rails which intersect a roadto the magnet 13. crossing and which are indicated at 3 and 4 In order to better illustrate the operation of being insulated at 5 from the adjoining secmy device, I have shown in plan on the railtions and those adjoining sections which are way-track a car-truck axle and wheels/the 35 indicated at 6 and 7 and 8 and 9 are insulated same being indicated at 26, and in order to at 10 from the outer sections. make clear the operation of my improved sig- In carrying out my invention I employ at a nal-bell we will assume that a train is apsuitable point two relays 11 and 12. Of the reproaching in the direction of the arrow. The lay 11, 13 represents a horizontal magnet, and car-wheels having reached the position indio 14 a vertical relay armature-bar which is pivcated in the drawing-that is, bearing upon oted at its lower end and which is adapted to the track-sections 6 and 7-it is obvious that extend in front of the magnet 13, and 15 and through the medium of the wires b, c, and 1c 16 represent, respectively, the oppositely-loand their connections heretofore described cated contact-arms, between the inner ends an electric circuit will be established, which 45 of which the upper end portion of said relaywill result in magnetizing the coil18 and in bar 14 extends. As indicated at 17, I employ drawing the armature-bar 19 into contact with a spring which normally retains the bar 14 in said magnet and into contact with the concontact with the outer contact-arm 15. Of tact-arm 20. Through this operation it will the relay 12, 18 represents the magnet-coil, readily be seen that a circuit will be estab- 5o 19 the pivoted armature-bar, and 20 and 21 lished through the battery 2' and bell 23, re the contact bars or arms, which correspond sulting in ringing the latter, so long as the with the bars or arms 15 and 16, with the excar axles and wheels are producing a connection between the track-sections 6 and 7. e will assume now that the car-wheels have moved over onto the track-rail sections 3 and 4, which are at the crossing. It is obvious that when said sections 3 and 4 are thus connected a circuit is established through the wire (Z, battery d,wire e, and magnet 13,which results through the magnetizing of the latter in the armatu re-bar 14 being drawn into contact with said magnet and into contact with the arm 16, thereby cutting out connection between said armature-bar and the wire 70 and breaking the circuit which leads through the bell and stopping the ringing of the latter. The car wheels and axles having passed the section 3 and connected the rail-sections 8 and 9, a circuit is again established through the wires 1) and c, the former, however, connecting through the medium of the short wire 20 fwith the wire 6 and which, taken in connec tion with the contact of the bar 14 and arm 16 and the connection of the latter with the wire (1, results in retaining the coil 13 magnetized and the broken circuit through the bell continued so long as the cars are on said track-sections S and 9 and moving away from the crossing.

In View of the fact that a train approaching the crossing in the opposite direction from that indicated by the arrow would result in an operation similar to that heretofore described itis not deemed necessary to illustrate this operation by further explanation.

From the construction and operation described it will readily be seen that the connections of the various insulated rail-sections through the relays, batteries, and bell are so arranged as to insure a ringing of the alarmbell as the train approaches a crossing and to further insure a discontinuance of such ringing when the train is on or passed the crossing. It will also be observed that the mechan ism which I employ for accomplishing these objects is simple, comparatively inexpensive, and positive in its operation.

Having now fully described my invention, What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is- A In an electrically-operated railway-crossing alarm, the combination with a railway-track comprising track-sections 6 and 7, 3 and 4 and 8 and 9, said sections 6 and 7 and 8 and 9 being electrically connected and insulated from said sections 3 and 4, relays 11 and 12 each comprising a magnet, oppositely-located contact-arms and a pivoted armature-bar normally in contact with the outer contact-arm and an electric alarm-bell, of a connection 1) connecting the rail-section 6 through a battery with the magnet of the relay 12, a connection 0 between the section 7 and the armature-bar of the relay 11, a connection (1 through a battery between the rail-section 3, the magnet and one contact-arm of the relay 11, a connection 6 between the rail-section 4 and the magnet of the relay 11, a connection f between the lines I) and e, a connection 7: between the outer contact-arm of the relay 11 and the magnet of the relay 12, a connection it between the armature-bar of the relay 12 and the bell through a battery and a connection 9 between the inner contact-arm of the relay 12 and said bell, substantially as specified.

JOSEPH E. STEELE.

In presence ot C. C. SHEPHERD, H. B. BRADSHAW. 

